Sleep Duration Linked to ‘Multimorbidity’; Study Suggests Dozing for Short Periods Could Lead to Higher Risk of Developing Chronic Diseases

People sleeping for short periods of time are more likely to develop chronic diseases in adult life, as suggested in new research.

A Newsweek report said that sleep has long been identified as linked to overall health. The United States National Institutes of Health said that quality sleep enhances brain performance and lack of sleep regularly increases the risk of a lot of disorders and diseases, which include heart disease, obesity, dementia, and stroke.

Nonetheless, the link between sleep duration and multimorbidity, the existence of multiple diseases or conditions, are inadequately understood, according to researchers.

To examine this, the study investigators analyzed decades-old data from the landmark Whitehall II cohort study, which was an extensive study performed between 1985 and 1988 to investigate the health of more than 10,000 people working in the British civil service.

Sleep Duration Measured

Follow-up reports on individuals taking part in the research have been performed several times in the decades since, alongside self-reported sleep duration measured six times from 1985 to 2016.

Using this data, researchers were able to identify nearly 8,000 people and extracted sleep duration reports at ages, 50, 60, and 70, and looked at the link between the occurrence of multimorbidity over the period of 25 years.

As indicated in a similar NaijaPlux report, the data revealed a strong link between people who get five or less hours of sleep each night, and a higher risk of multimorbidity.

In addition, researchers were able to identify a 20-percent increased risk of a first chronic disease linked to short sleep duration at age 50, and a similar increased risk of subsequent multimorbidity.

Multimorbidity and Sleep Duration

The results did not reveal any link to death, nonetheless. Furthermore, the data suggested that there was an increased risk of multimorbidity with long sleep duration in older people, although the study authors said this might reflect the necessity for longer sleep in those who were already sick.

Professor of circadian neuroscience and head of the department of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom Russell Foster said he thinks the new report is cautious, adding, such data are "entirely consistent with previous recommendations" which are that if one is getting below six hours of sleep, then, it is perhaps, unhealthy.

Explaining the reason lack of sleep might be hazardous, Foster explained that night shift workers are a "classic example."

These people are trying to sleep during the day and often get five hours or less of sleep. It is, then, likely that a key contributing factor will be the activation of the so-called stress axis, which is described in J Neuroendocrinol.

Short-Term Stress

Foster also explained that short-term stress is a bit similar to the first gear of a car, giving one that wonderful acceleration to either fight or run away.

However, if one keeps the car in first gear, he will destroy the engine. This, he continued explaining, he thinks is what's happening with short-duration sleep.

Through the activation of the stress axis, one is increasing his blood pressure and heart rate, and he's throwing glucose into the circulation.

The professor also said that high cortisol levels are linked to suppressed immunity. Therefore, higher infection rates would also mean higher cancer rates. Therefore, he said, he thinks many of the problems they're seeing could be linked to the stress axis activation, as well.

Related information about sleep deprivation is shown on Better Than Yesterday's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Sleep in Science Times.